David Moyes leaves position as West Ham United manager

Assistant coaches Alan Irvine, Stuart Pearce and Billy McKinlay have also left the London Stadium

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David Moyes has left his job as manager of West Ham United following the conclusion of his short-term contract.

The former Everton, Manchester United and Sunderland boss took over at West Ham with the club in the relegation zone and guided them to a 13^th place finish, winning seven points from the final three matches of the season.

However, he has repeatedly complained about the amount of leaks to the media and has had to deal with angry fan protests against the club’s hierarchy.

Assistant coaches Alan Irvine, Stuart Pearce and Billy McKinlay have also left the club.

In a statement published on the club’s website, joint-chairman David Sullivan said: “I would like to place on record my sincere thanks to David Moyes and his staff for achieving the target of keeping West Ham United in the Premier League.

“Throughout his time here, David has carried himself with dignity and honesty and we have all found him to be a pleasure to work with. He, Alan, Stuart and Billy accepted the challenge and attacked it head on, turning around a difficult situation. They deserve great respect for the job they have done and they leave the Club with our best wishes.

“When David and his team arrived, it was the wish of both parties that the focus be only on the six months until the end of the season, at which point a decision would be made with regards to the future.

“Having taken stock of the situation and reflected now the campaign is complete, we feel that it is right to move in a different direction.

“We are already taking steps to identify and recruit the manager we believe can take West Ham United forward in line with our ambitions. We aim to appoint a high-calibre figure who we feel will lead the Club into an exciting future for our loyal supporters within the next ten days.”

The Independent understands Sullivan has held talks with Shakhtar Donetsk manager Paulo Fonseca, while Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez is known to be high up on the club’s wishlist.